Dean Lee worked as a storyboard artist before joining what was then called Palmer Jarvis in 1995. Since then, his imaginative art direction for clients like the BC Dairy Foundation, Sun Rype, BC Hydro and TELUS, usually in partnership with the late copywriter James Lee (no relation), has attracted results, awards and attention from across the industry. The ‘Survival of the Fittest’ spots for the BC Dairy Foundation, for instance – which depicted cavemen attracting predators by opening pop cans to point out how nutrition choices can affect your success – have been awarded by both the Bessies and Applied Arts.
‘I remember sitting in a theatre when the BC Dairy spots broke,’ he says. ‘Behind me were cynical teenagers moaning at every commercial. Then our spot started and I heard their attitude change. First they were asking themselves if it was a commercial or a trailer, then there was laughter, then they said, ‘That was awesome.’ I wish our clients could have been there.’
‘I would have nominated a team for this award – James Lee and Dean Lee,’ says Scot Keith. ‘They shared a passion for this business as well as a passion to be best at it. They were brilliant by themselves, and scary brilliant together. But I believe that Dean will take things up another notch in the months and years to come. He’s a great leader because he’s very inclusive on the work.’
‘I really like my role as a creative teammate,’ says Lee. ‘Everyone in the agency shares a responsibility to inspire and bring out the best in each other.’
Still, Keith singles out Lee for praise. ‘What’s amazing is Dean’s ability to ensure that the product is the focus of the communications,’ he says. ‘He’s got this quiet confidence that he’s going to take that business challenge and find a simple solution to do something incredibly creative and effective. He’s not one to pontificate; he gets his hands dirty at the strategy stage and will come up with dozens of strategic areas before he gets into developing the ideas. I’ve never seen a better creative process.’
